The present inventive disclosure relates to load-retaining devices and particularly to retaining devices that are useful for stabilizing articles for shipment or storage and for securing articles in place by attaching one or more cables, ropes, chains, or straps.
While various retainers have been previously proposed, most prior devices are not suited for tying down a wide variety of articles that are to be shipped such as metal tubing, rod or pole stock, boards, or even vehicles such as motorcycles, bicycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and the like. The Inventor and Applicant of the present patent application is also the Inventor and Patentee of one previous solution; that is, the tie-down devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,780, issued on Jan. 29, 2008 for “Tie-Down Wrap Device for Securing Articles for Shipment” (hereinafter, “the '780 Patent”), the teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference. While the '780 Patent did present a significant step forward in load-securing devices, among its deficiencies are the inability to easily replace the connector hardware (e.g., from a clip hook to an open hook or to a closed “eye” type of connector) while also being able to maintain a secure coupling when loads are applied. The connector-hardware-attachment configuration of the '780 Patent employs a connector-retaining substrate that has an opening for an orthogonally placed hardware connector to extend through, with the connector-retaining substrate being secured by a couple of snaps. The '780 Patent device further requires a discrete opening in the balance of the wrap device that will correspond to the connector hardware extension as it is wrapped tightly and securely around some sort of bar, beam, or other anchor point. The problem here is that the design of the '780 Patent's device generally requires a specific size of anchor point so that the aforementioned discrete opening can correspond to the extended connector hardware while still being securely wrapped around the user's selected anchor point. This makes it desirable to improve the design to make the device more robust and adaptable to different applications.
In addition, while some embodiments of the '780 Patent purport to allow for some pivtability of the included connector hardware, the reality is that between the limited size of the openings for the extended connector hardware, and the generally secure orthogonal orientation of the installation of the connector hardware relative to the wrap device's substrates, the movability/pivotability of the connector hardware is very limited, which can present a problem for riggers as a the tie-wrap devices realize increasing/shifting loads and stresses.
Further, many tie-down wrap devices employ some sort of hook-and-loop coupling to secure the wrapping position. However, over time, and especially after repeated uses, hook-and-loop coupling can get fouled with foreign materials making their coupling less secure. Accordingly, what would be advantageous is a retaining device that anticipates this possibility and provides some sort of backup to hold onto connector hardware in the event of the failure of a hook-and-loop coupling on the wrap device.
What is needed is an improved retaining device that eliminates the issues discussed above, while still providing a solution that can be widely applied to the support, stabilization, and/or tying-down of articles, and that can be used both by shipping companies as well as by non-commercial consumers for tying-down articles/equipment; e.g., in the bed of a pick-up truck or trailer that is hauled behind an automobile, SUV, or truck. In commercial use, the improved retaining device should be suited for tying-down articles that are shipped by truck, train, flatbed, or semi-trailer, etc.